Stand at the two ends of a decision
Every decision has two ends — starting something and signing off on the result. AI is good at the middle. The valuable place is at the ends, a seat creative work didn't always hold.
They place a bet on a direction that did not exist before.
Every real decision has two ends.
At one end, someone starts something. They commission the product. They approve the strategy. They place a bet on a direction that did not exist before.
At the other end, someone signs off on the result. They confirm the new situation is good enough, or they reject it and absorb the cost of undoing it.
These two ends are kept apart on purpose. The right to propose and the right to approve are split, because putting both in one pair of hands creates risk no one can answer for.
At the two ends, not the middle — often a decision seat creative work.
They place a bet on a direction that did not exist before.
At the other end, someone signs off on the result.
They confirm the new situation is good enough, or they reject it and absorb the cost of undoing it.
This matters for where you sit. AI is very good at the work between the two ends. The analysis. The synthesis. The options. The first drafts.
So the safe and valuable place is at the ends, not in the middle. Be the one who decides what to start, or the one who decides whether the result is good enough. For creative and strategy work, this often means stepping into a seat you did not hold before.
At the other end, someone signs off on the result.
At the two ends, not the middle — often a decision seat creative work did not hold before.
Every decision has two ends — starting something and signing off on the result. AI is good at the middle. The valuable place is at the ends, a seat creative work didn't always hold.
This is the short version. Read the full-length essay, “Human, not AI: make sure you’re at either end of a decision”.
This issue is part of Everybody's Smart, a newsletter on taste, judgment, AI, culture, cognition, and the future of professional work. New issues every 2 to 3 weeks, free on LinkedIn.
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